HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

Matt Judon Addresses Training Camp Absences, Patriots Contract

August 5th, 2024 at 4:49pm CST by Adam La Rose

Matt Judon did not take part in New England’s training camp practices last Monday, and he was away from the team the following day. Conversations with the team’s top decision-makers has followed, but the veteran edge rusher does not appear to be any closer to a contract resolution.

Judon has taken part in each of the past four practices while he continues to seek out a new contract. One year remains on the four-time Pro Bowler’s current pact, and he is due $7.5MM in total compensation. That falls well short of the value of edge rushers with the production Judon has provided in New England (32 sacks in 33 games). His biceps injury limited him to four contests in 2023, though, something which has hurt his leverage in contract talks.

“We have a market, it’s set by the highest [paid] guy, then everybody falls in line until the next person is up to break that contract,” the soon-to-be 32-year-old said when addressing his situation publicly on Monday (via ESPN’s Mike Reiss). “Coming from the season I had, I was injured mostly all season, so that’s not really where my market is. But like I said, I don’t think it’s $6.5 [million, his scheduled base salary].”

New England’s front office is now led by Eliot Wolf, and his first offseason at the helm has been defined by a long list of players receiving new deals and extensions. Christian Barmore, Kyle Dugger, Jabrill Peppers and, most recently, Davon Godchaux are among the defenders to land a Patriots contract this offseason. Judon is believed to have received at least one offer from the team on a restructure or extension, though he has denied that.

The former fifth-rounder did not speak about his social media remarks during his Monday availability, nor did he go into detail about where things currently stand on the contract front. Judon will continue taking part in practices to avoid fines, and he has expressed a willingness to play out the final season of his pact as currently constructed after last year’s holdout. He made it clear, however, that a deal allowing him to continue in New England remains the target, pending how the team’s front office proceeds.

“Like I told you all before, I would pay myself and we’d never talk about it,” he said. “But it’s not up to me. I told you all I wanted to stay here the rest of my career.”

Broncos Waive S Caden Sterns

August 5th, 2024 at 4:06pm CST by Adam La Rose

4:06pm: No trade was worked out for Sterns, Klis notes. As a result, he will hit the waiver wire. If no team submits a claim in the next 24 hours, he will be a free agent.

10:02am: Caden Sterns was set to play out the 2024 season as a pending free agent for the Broncos. The fourth-year safety will instead need to find a new home in the coming weeks.

Sterns has been informed by the Broncos of their intention of waiving him, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports. The 24-year-old will hit the wire once that move officially takes place. If he goes unclaimed, Sterns will be free to sign with an interested team. A trade will first be sought out, per Mike Klis of 9News. If a partner on that front cannot be found, Sterns will be let go.

The former fifth-rounder has shown potential when on the field, particularly during his rookie season. Sterns totaled a pair of interceptions and five pass deflections in 2021. He nearly matched both of those figures the following year, but he did so in only five games played. Availability has been an issue for Sterns, and he suffered a season-ending injury in Week 1 of the 2023 campaign.

The Texas alum began training camp on the active/PUP list, but he was cleared to return to practice in late July. Today’s news is not an encouraging sign with respect to Stern’s health at the moment. As a result, he may find himself on the market for a stretch as teams consider adding him prior to roster cutdowns. If he does land with a new squad in the relatively near future, however, the Broncos’ turnover at the safety position this offseason will continue.

Denver moved on from Justin Simmons in the spring, and the NFL’s interceptions leader since 2016 has still yet to sign with a new team. The Broncos also released Kareem Jackson late in the 2023 campaign after his second suspension of the season. Jackson recently signed with the Bills in an attempt to continue his career. Now that Sterns will not be in the fold, a number of new faces will be counted on for the 2024 season.

The Broncos added Brandon Jones in free agency, and the team re-signed P.J. Locke. Those two are set operate as starters this season, but the absence of Sterns will lead to questions about depth behind them. Barring an addition, Denver will rely on the likes of J.L. Skinner and Delarrin Turner-Yell as special teams contributors counted on to take on defensive snaps in the event of injury to Jones and/or Locke. The Broncos have roughly $7.7MM in cap space, so a modest safety investment to replace Sterns would be feasible.

Seahawks Nearing Deal With Connor Williams; Latest On Team’s OL Battles

August 5th, 2024 at 3:37pm CST by Rory Parks

AUGUST 5: A Williams-to-Seattle agreement should be expected shortly. Agent Drew Rosenhaus said during an appearance on the Joe Rose radio show Monday that a Seahawks contract should be worked out in the next 48-72 hours (h/t Sports Illustrated’s Scott Salomon). Notably, Rosenhaus added Williams will be available for Week 1, a sign of his positive ACL rehab. Getting a deal in place will provide Seattle with a starting center for at least the 2024 campaign, although the length and terms of the pact will be worth watching closely.

AUGUST 4: The Seahawks were engaged in contract talks with center Connor Williams at the end of July, and as ESPN’s Brady Henderson notes, Seattle is still interested in acquiring Williams. While the ACL tear that Williams suffered in 2023 has led to his extended stay on the free agent market and has put his availability for the start of the 2024 season in doubt, Henderson says that money, not health, is the hold-up in negotiations.

Indeed, previous reports indicated that Williams passed his physical with the Seahawks. Per Henderson, the 27-year-old pivot simply wants more than Seattle can pay him (OverTheCap.com estimates that the ‘Hawks presently have a little over $10MM in effective cap space, which is near the bottom of the league but seemingly still enough to bring Williams into the fold, especially if they are willing to consider a multiyear deal).

For now, however, Olusegun Oluwatimi is at the top of the club’s center depth chart, with Henderson noting that the 2023 fifth-rounder has consistently gotten first-team reps ahead of free agent pickup Nick Harris. It appears that another 2023 draftee, Anthony Bradford, has the edge over third-round rookie Christian Haynes for the Seahawks’ other unsettled O-line position, right guard.

George Fant, who is in his second tour of duty in Seattle, continues to take starter’s reps at right tackle while Abraham Lucas works his way back from a knee injury. 2023 UDFA McClendon Curtis is operating behind Fant at right tackle for the time being, though Henderson says Curtis has impressed the Seahawks’ coaching staff and may still be in the RG mix. Despite a clear distribution of first-team snaps through the early stages of training camp, head coach Mike Macdonald says the starting OL has not been established.

Williams, who would have been one of the top free agents on the market this offseason if not for his injury, would certainly be a welcome addition to an offensive front that has several question marks on the interior. He is reportedly talking to other teams as well as Seattle, but those clubs have not yet been identified.

Bengals DE Cameron Sample Suffers Torn Achilles

August 5th, 2024 at 1:55pm CST by Adam La Rose

Cameron Sample will be sidelined for the entire 2024 season. The fourth-year Bengals defensive end has suffered an Achilles tear, head coach Zac Taylor confirmed on Monday.

[RELATED: Recapping Bengals’ Offseason]

The injury occurred during Friday’s practice, and Sample was carted off the field. Today’s news means he will be unavailable for the campaign, something of particular importance for his financial future. Sample, 25 in September, is a pending free agent. This injury will no doubt hurt his market value.

The former fourth-round pick has been a regular on defense during his Cincinnati tenure, making 47 appearances in the regular season and another six in the playoffs. Sample has only made three starts in that time, but his absence will still be felt along the edge for the Bengals. The Tulane alum has collected 58 tackles and five sacks while maintaining a steady snap share in each of the past three years.

The Bengals will move forward with Trey Hendrickson and Sam Hubbard as starters along the edge. Sample’s injury will leave the team relying more heavily on the likes of Joseph Ossai and Myles Murphy. The former has struggled to stay healthy and productive in the NFL so far, but he is confident in a breakout campaign in 2024, the final year of his rookie contract. The latter, meanwhile, will look to build off his three-sack debut Cincinnati campaign from last season.

The remainder of training camp along with the preseason will provide players like 2022 seventh-rounder Jeff Gunter, sixth-round rookie Cedric Johnson and UDFA Justin Blazek with the opportunity to land a roster spot in Sample’s absence. If Cincinnati deems a late-summer free agent addition to be necessary, the team has over $19MM in cap space to work with. Yannick Ngakoue, Carl Lawson and Charles Harris are among the top veterans still on the market.

Vikings’ Jordan Addison Facing DUI Charges

August 5th, 2024 at 1:13pm CST by Adam La Rose

Jordan Addison was arrested last month on suspicion of DUI. The second-year Vikings receiver is now facing charges and a likely NFL suspension stemming from that incident.

Addison faces misdemeanor charges of driving under the influence of alcohol and driving with blood-alcohol content over California’s legal limit (0.08%), as detailed by Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Addison was arrested on July 12 in Los Angeles after being found asleep at the wheel of his Rolls-Royce while on a highway. The charges were filed on July 31.

Per Goessling, Addison has a court date of October 7 in Los Angeles. If convicted, he could face up to six months in prison, though his arraignment will provide him with the opportunity to enter into a plea agreement. The 22-year-old could face a three-game personal conduct policy suspension from the NFL. That is the standard length for bans related to first offenses involving alcohol.

Selected in the first round of the 2023 draft, Addison entered the league with high expectations. Minnesota moved on from veteran Adam Thielen last offseason, paving the way for the Pitt and USC alum to take on a notable role right away. Addison racked up 911 yards and 10 touchdowns on 70 receptions as a rookie, and he will be slated to remain a starter whenever he is first eligible to play in 2024.

Presuming Addison is hit with a three-game suspension, the Vikings’ receiver depth beyond Justin Jefferson will be tested. The team has the likes of Brandon Powell, Jalen Nailor and Trent Sherfield in place as complementary options after K.J. Osborn departed in free agency this spring. Tight end T.J. Hockenson returning to full health in time for September would compensate for Addison’s absence, but as Hockenson continues to rehab a torn ACL his Week 1 availability remains in the air.

In his remarks related to the DUI arrest, Addison has stated a willingness to accept whatever discipline is handed down by the league. It remains to be seen what (if anything) that will amount to, but this latest development suggests a brief suspension should be expected in his case.

Dolphins, Tyreek Hill Agree To Reworked Contract

August 5th, 2024 at 11:55am CST by Ben Levine

AUGUST 5: Detailing the structure of the new deal, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talks notes Hill will receive a raise of $11.4MM over 2024 and ’25 compared to the previous arrangement. His up front compensation includes a $7MM signing bonus and guaranteed salaries and roster bonuses for the next two seasons. Hill can receive up $2.8MM in per-game roster bonuses during that span along with annual playing time and team postseason win incentives up to $500K.

2026 calls for $36MM in compensation, though none of it is locked in at signing. $11MM of that total will become guaranteed in 2026, but until then team and player will move forward with a revised short-term pact.

AUGUST 3: After a number of top wideouts earned lucrative extensions this offseason, Tyreek Hill was secured his pay day. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the Dolphins have reached an agreement with their star wide receiver on a restructured contract worth $90MM over the next three years.

The deal includes $65MM in guaranteed money, and the restructuring will only cover the three years that were already remaining on Hill’s contract (so no new years were added). When combined with his 2023 guarantees, Hill’s $106.5MM in guaranteed money is the most by a wideout over a four-year stretch, per Schefter. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport notes that Hill also made NFL history with the “most guaranteed money added to a contract without adding new years,” and that record is likely a reflection of Hill’s unique contract situation.

The Dolphins once established Hill as the league’s highest-paid WR when they signed him to a four-year, $120MM extension. The last few years of that pact signaled that revisions were eventually coming. Hill was already attached to a significant $31MM cap hit in 2024, with that number jumping to $34MM in 2025 and an untenable $56MM in 2026. The front office also had outs in both 2025 and 2026 (via the player’s nonguaranteed $43.9MM salary), so it always seemed likely that the sides would head back to the drawing board.

Since inking his initial Miami extension, Hill has since been passed by the likes of Amon-Ra St. Brown, A.J. Brown and Justin Jefferson on the AAV list. Even Hill’s teammate, Jaylen Waddle found himself with a new deal that encroached on the numbers Hill was making. The Dolphins star won’t make any progress on St. Brown, Brown, and Jefferson with this latest deal in AAV, but he will approach Jefferson in terms of guaranteed money. Jefferson’s record-setting deal set the guaranteed money mark at $88.74MM.

It seemed strange that Hill trailed the above names in salary despite leading the league in receiving yards and touchdowns last year and only trailing Cowboys wideout CeeDee Lamb in receptions. Due to the nature of how quickly position salaries have seemed to escalate in recent years, it was no surprise to see Hill’s once record-setting deal pale in comparison to the younger generation.

The Dolphins’ new deal with Hill at least partially rights that wrong. Though Hill didn’t have any years added to his contract, Miami still has him, Waddle, and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa under contract through the 2026 season, with both Waddle and Tagovailoa having one more year than Hill. The team’s offensive corps remains intact and well-paid for the next three years, at least.

Ely Allen contributed to this post.

Chiefs Eyeing Extensions For C Creed Humphrey, RG Trey Smith, LB Nick Bolton

August 5th, 2024 at 11:11am CST by Adam La Rose

The Chiefs have been busy this offseason with respect to retaining in-house players from the 2023 Super Bowl-winning team. Three key contributors remain as extension priorities ahead of Week 1.

Maintaining a strong trio along the interior offensive line in particular is a top goal for Kansas City. The team is eyeing extensions for center Creed Humphrey and right guard Trey Smith before the start of the campaign, as detailed by The Athletic’s Nate Taylor (subscription required). Both players are entering the final year of their rookie contracts; that is also true of linebacker Nick Bolton, whom Taylor notes is on the Chiefs’ extension list.

“They are three really good players and they’re fantastic people,” general manager Brett Veach said of the trio (via Taylor). “Throughout this camp, hopefully, we’re able to get more than one done. It’s just going to be a systematic approach and exchange of communication. We would want nothing more than for them to be here (long term) and I’m sure they would want nothing more than to be here.”

Humphrey established himself as a top center prospect during his college career, and he has served as a full-time starter since his rookie campaign. The Oklahoma alum was PFF’s top-ranked player at his position during each of his first two seasons in the league, and he drew the fourth-best evaluation in 2023. Humphrey should therefore have a strong chance at topping the center market on a new deal, something which would entail an AAV of $13.5MM or higher.

Smith was a highly-touted prospect coming out of high school, but his college tenure was marked by injuries and blood clot issues. The Tennessee alum’s draft stock took a hit as a result, but things have gone according to plan at the NFL level so far. Smith, 25, has missed only one contest to date with Kansas City. PFF has slotted him between 10th and 15th amongst qualifying guards every year, so he too could command a major raise on his next contract and potentially price himself out of Kansas City.

The guard market has surged in recent years. 2024 saw the number of players earning an average of $20MM or more increase to four, and the Eagles’ Landon Dickerson leads the way at $21MM per season. Given the gap between the guard and center positions, a Smith accord could check in at a higher price tag than a Humphrey extension. The Chiefs’ left guard, Joe Thuney, has two years remaining on his contract and is set to carry a cap hit of just under $27MM in 2024 and ’25.

While that figure will factor into Kansas City’s offensive line planning, it will also need to be taken into account for Bolton. The team’s second-round selection in 2021 has been productive from the start of his Chiefs tenure, reaching triple-digit tackles in each of his first two seasons. Bolton was limited to eight regular season games in 2023 due to a wrist injury, but he was healthy in time for Kansas City’s postseason run.

Willie Gay signed with the Saints this offseason, and his departure created a vacancy in the starting lineup. Drue Tranquill was retained on a three-year deal, though, and he and Bolton will be counted on to remain productive in the middle of the Chiefs’ defense. The latter will help his market value with another productive season in 2024 on a new Kansas City accord (unless an extension is worked out shortly) or one taking him to a new team on the open market.

Taylor names kicker Harrison Butker as another extension candidate for Kansas City. The 29-year-old is set to earn $3.84MM in 2024, the final year of his current deal. A raise could be on tap given his consistency during his Kansas City tenure, although considerable resources will of course be needed to keep as many members of the Humphrey-Smith-Bolton trio as possible. It will be interesting to see how many deals the Chiefs – currently projected to have roughly $13MM in 2025 cap space – work out before the offseason comes to a close.

Panthers Place Kemoko Turay On IR

August 5th, 2024 at 9:39am CST by Adam La Rose

Kemoko Turay‘s Panthers tenure has proven to be rather short-lived. The veteran edge rusher was placed on injured reserve Monday, per Joe Person of The Athletic.

Turay was one of several outside linebackers who visited Carolina before he landed a deal. The 29-year-old was set to compete for a rotational role along the edge with the Panthers, but today’s move will keep him sidelined for the season. Turay’s contract did not include any guaranteed money, so the team will not have any dead cap charges to deal with.

The Panthers added Jadeveon Clowney and D.J. Wonnum in free agency, and that pair is set to start on a team which no longer has Brian Burns or Yetur Gross-Matos along the edge. Questions have been raised about Carolina’s depth, though, and the loss of Turay could lead them to circle back to the other options which auditioned last month. That list includes Carl Lawson, Yannick Ngakoue and Marquis Haynes.

Lawson recently worked out for the Cowboys, but he (like the other two) remains unsigned at this point. In any event, the lack of veteran depth options for the time being means K’Lavon Chaisson will still have plenty of reps available during training camp. The former Jaguars first-rounder has not lived up to expectations in the NFL, and he will attempt to get his career on track with the Panthers.

In a corresponding move, Carolina added quarterback Jake Luton, as first reported by Person. The 28-year-old will return to the Panthers after spending time on their practice squad last season. Luton has bounced around the league since he made the lone three starts of his career with Jacksonville in 2020. Carolina was on the lookout for a depth QB addition with backup Andy Dalton sidelined due to a quad injury. Luton will give the Panthers another camp body alongside Bryce Young and Jack Plummer while Dalton rehabs.

Eagles Sign LB Shaquille Quarterman

August 5th, 2024 at 8:52am CST by Adam La Rose

Philadelphia will have an additional option in the linebacking corps for the remainder of training camp. The Eagles have an agreement in place with Shaquille Quarterman, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. The signing is now official, per a team announcement.

Quarterman entered the league in 2020 after being drafted by the Jaguars. He was a regular in Jacksonville over the course of his rookie contract, making 65 combined regular and postseason appearances. The 26-year-old did not make any starts on defense, though, with most of his playing time coming on special teams.

The 2021 season saw Quarterman total 3o tackles while logging his largest defensive workload (142 snaps). His third phase contributions over the following two years were not enough to land him a new Jaguars pact, however, leading to a lengthy stay on the open market. The former fourth-rounder visited the Bears last month, but he will be headed to Philadelphia for at least the next few weeks.

The Eagles have undergone a number of changes at the linebacker spot this offseason after the team’s underwhelming end on defense to close out the 2023 campaign. Nicholas Morrow took a deal with the Bills, while Zach Cunningham and Shaquille Leonard remain unsigned. Philadelphia added Devin White and Zack Baun in free agency before drafting Jeremiah Trotter Jr. Those new faces will join returnee Nakobe Dean in competing for defensive playing time.

Quarterman will attempt to carve out a role as part of that group, presumably on special teams. The Eagles’ upcoming preseason contests will give the Miami alum a chance to earn a 53-man roster spot. Philadelphia entered Monday with over $25.5MM in cap space, so this addition (which will no doubt be for one year and the league minimum) will not affect the team’s financial outlook.

NFL Coaching Rumors: Harbaugh, Gruden, Harris

August 4th, 2024 at 9:49pm CST by Ely Allen

New Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh left the NFL to coach at his alma mater in Ann Arbor. It took him nine years, but he eventually led the Wolverines to a national championship before making his way back to the NFL. That’s not all that Harbaugh did during his time at the University of Michigan, though.

Under Harbaugh’s leadership, a former staffer named Connor Stalions was revealed to have led an effort to capture the play-calling signals of future opponents. Investigation into the initial allegations led to several penalties being imposed by the NCAA. According to Mike Florio of NBC Sports, Harbaugh is one of the parties targeted by the collegiate organization. He will be “charged with a Level 1 violation, the highest degree of penalty the NCAA can impose.”

Other coaches, including Stalions, Chris Partridge, and Denard Robinson also had Level 1 violations levied against them, while new Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore faces a Level 2 charge that could result in a suspension. The university itself also reportedly faces a Level 1 violation for an alleged “pattern of noncompliance within the football program” and efforts to obstruct the NCAA’s investigation.

With Harbaugh having departed for the NFL, NCAA violations don’t hold much weight. Should Harbaugh ever make the decision to return to the college ranks of coaching again, he may be forced to face the recourse for his actions and the actions of his staff.

Here are a couple other coaching rumors from around the league:

  • Former Raiders head coach Jon Gruden‘s most recent exit from the NFL has been a messy one, resulting in Gruden’s attempted lawsuit against the league and its commissioner. While Gruden may be at odds with the NFL, he has slowly been accepted back into NFL coaching circles. In 2023, he worked as a consultant with the Saints, and according to Michael David Smith of NBC Sports, Gruden has been seen doing work for the Chiefs this offseason. Gruden has been spotted working with head coach Andy Reid and several assistants while decked out in Chiefs gear. Reid and Gruden are connected from their time working together for the Packers from 1992 to 1994. There haven’t been any reports of Gruden officially joining the staff in Kansas City, so there’s a chance he was just a camp visitor today.
  • Lastly, we could be seeing one of the latest instances of a former NFL player making their way into the coaching world. Per Zach Berman of PHLY, former NFL safety Anthony Harris has been working with the Eagles staff this summer. Harris spent six years of his eight-year career in Minnesota, where he once led the league in interceptions (6) despite only playing in 14 games. Following his time with the Vikings, Harris spent a season with Philadelphia as a starter for 14 games. He appeared in three games for the Broncos in 2022 before getting released and signing a free agent deal to return to Philadelphia, though he didn’t appear in any more contests with the Eagles. He remained a free agent all of last year and is technically one now. It’s unclear if he has any intentions to continue playing, seeing as he never officially retired, but if he’s trying his hand at coaching, it’s likely safe to say that his playing days are over.
Load More Posts